The Telegraph today reports a conversation I had with their political editor James Kirkup about the potential for co-operative free schools to create the incentives and opportunities to drive up standards for the most disadvantaged: Parents would be allowed to make a profit by running State-funded schools under plans being […]
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Earlier in the year, I had a wonderful conversation on the doorstep with a lady who, like so many members of the public, despairs at the conduct of all politicians. I asked if she had followed my own actions and could give me a personal example. The truth was, as […]
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I found time this morning to watch the film Four Horsemen. It’s about what’s fundamentally wrong with the world and it features some major thinkers from Britain and the world. I feel fairly sure many of them did not know that the central point of the film is to explain […]
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Writing today for City AM, Paul Ormerod argues “It’s time to fight the claim that consumer choice doesn’t improve public services”. Quite right. Ormerod indicates one of the trends of our time: The new Labour shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh said last week that she was “open” to the idea […]
Read MoreThis morning, after spotting Allister Heath’s boldly optimistic article for the Telegraph, I chaired the Parliamentary launch of the 2013 Legatum Prosperity Index. It’s not enough to consider quality of life by material things alone: Gross Domestic Product neglects great swathes of factors which make life worth living. As the […]
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I usually romp through Eamonn Butler’s books and Milton Friedman: A concise guide to the ideas and influence of the free-market economist was no exception. The book sets out how Friedman became a public intellectual of worldwide influence, how to end financial crises and how to cure inflation. People, trade […]
Read MoreVia BBC News – Heathrow Airport attacks regulator’s price-control plan: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Thursday said that Heathrow’s yearly rise between 2014-18 should not be more than the retail price index (RPI). Prices can only bring supply and demand into balance if they are allowed to find their […]
Read MoreIn his conference speech, Nick Clegg said, The Conservatives, on the other hand, have made it clear that their priority is to help some families over others, with a tax break for married couples. A tax break for some, funded through the taxes of everybody else – that tells you […]
Read MoreVia House price inflation should be capped at 5pc, RICS says – Telegraph, House prices should be prevented from rising by more than 5pc a year to stop another bubble destabilising the economy, a top property institute has urged. For comparison, the UK inflation target is 2%. The RICS story […]
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There is in centre-right political parties a strand of thought known as “neo-conservatism”. Like socialists, neo-conservatives talk about freedom but believe in power, not liberty under law. We have seen their influence in the words and actions of the past few days. Wikipedia provides a summary: Today’s neo-conservatives unite around three […]
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